UCF Honors Siemens with President’s Partnership Award, Receives Significant Software Grant from Siemens

ORLANDO, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Honoring more than 30 years of academic and research collaboration with
Siemens, the University of Central Florida today awarded the global
technology company with the prestigious President’s Partnership Award.
UCF President John C. Hitt presented the award to Siemens leaders at an
innovation symposium attended by Siemens employees, community and
business leaders, and UCF faculty and students.

“We are grateful for Siemens’ cutting-edge work to advance the industry
and drive innovation,” said President Hitt. “This long-standing
partnership prepares our students for today’s challenges and builds the
high-tech workforce that will serve our community for decades to come.”

Over the course of three decades, Siemens and UCF have partnered to
focus on the development of the energy sector. This includes the 2017
launch of UCF's Digital Grid Innovation Laboratory – the first of its
kind in the United States; the Center of Innovation for Diagnostics and
Prognostics research program; and celebrating its 10th
anniversary on-campus this year, the Siemens Energy Center.

Today, Siemens announced the next phase of its academic partnership with
the university: a major in-kind technology grant of Siemens’ Product
Lifecycle Management (PLM) software with a commercial value of $593
million. The software grant, one of the largest made to the UCF
Foundation, amplifies a similar in-kind grant in 2016 that has already
benefited hundreds of students in UCF's Center for Advanced
Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER). The Siemens software
technology is used by 140,000 companies worldwide, including 75 in the
state and nearly a dozen in central Florida. A large number of UCF’s
graduating engineering students go on to secure employment at companies
that use PLM software.

"Siemens has been innovating for the world from Orlando’s backyard for
nearly 30 years, and we are proud to serve as an industry leader for our
academic partnership with UCF,” said Steve Conner, CEO of Siemens’
Energy, Inc. "We are pleased to grow this robust partnership that spans
cutting-edge R&D leveraging UCF’s strength in advanced turbomachinery
and energy research, to providing UCF students real-world experience on
the same software and technology used worldwide, offering a leg-up on
the competition when they begin their careers."

The software relates to the design and manufacturing of sophisticated
products for energy and power generation, automotive, aerospace,
machinery and high-tech electronics. It helps engineers transform their
ideas into real products by providing information and feedback as the
product moves from design to prototype.

Mechanical engineering doctoral student Marcel Otto, '15, works in CATER
and interned at Siemens. “This software helps you do what is done in
industry," said Otto. "It's user-friendly, hands-on, and is focused on
efficient problem solving, which is critical in industry where every
minute counts to bring a product to market.”

The software will now be scaled up for use by all 11,000 students in
UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and will be available
for use in all phases of students’ academic career, from freshman
introductory courses to sophomore design challenges, all the way through
to junior and senior capstone design courses. Students majoring in
industrial engineering, electrical and computer engineering, biomedical
engineering and many more disciplines will utilize the software as part
of their course studies. For example, in the UCF Department of
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, the software will be
available in the ergonomics class, the study of engineering design for
optimal human interaction. Multiple student competition teams will also
now utilize the software, including UCF’s American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), BAJA Racing, and Formula SAE Racing
teams.

“I’m proud our community is home to a world-class public research
institution like UCF and to companies like Siemens that are willing to
work together to invest in our students and the future of our
economy,” said U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy. “For over 30 years,
the UCF-Siemens partnership has produced cutting-edge research and
top-notch local talent in the engineering and manufacturing industries.
I’m encouraged to see that Siemens is continuing its commitment to this
public-private partnership through its generous donation. This
partnership strengthens the education of students pursuing high-paying
jobs in STEM fields and ensures our economy has the skilled workforce it
needs to continue growing.”

"Orlando was recently recognized as the top city in America for STEM job
growth," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "That acknowledgement is proof
of the impact that partnerships like the one between UCF and Siemens are
having as part of our community's shared commitment to creating the jobs
of tomorrow, training the next generation of hometown high tech workers
and growing our innovation-based economy.”

“The digital revolution that swept through travel, music and retail is
now changing the way we design and manufacture complex products, and
software and technology are at the core,” said Del Costy, senior vice
president and managing director, Americas for Siemens PLM Software.
“Siemens is committed to connecting academia and industry to develop
future digital enterprise workers who can support industries across the
globe and by expanding our partnership with UCF, we are doing just that.”

In January of 2018, Siemens also established a partnership with BRIDG,
the world’s first not-for-profit industry-led smart sensor
public-private partnership, which includes UCF, in the semiconductor
industry. Siemens is providing an in-kind software grant valued at more
than $30 million to BRIDG that will enable its digital enterprise site
to feature the complete Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM)
portfolio.

About the University of Central Florida

Founded in 1963 with a commitment to expanding opportunity and demanding
excellence, the University of Central Florida develops the talent needed
to advance the prosperity and welfare of our society. With more than
66,000 students, UCF is one of the nation’s largest universities,
offering more than 200 degree programs at its main campus in Orlando and
more than a dozen other locations in Central Florida and online. UCF was
ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the nation’s top 25 most
innovative universities along with Harvard, Stanford and Duke, and has
been described by The Washington Post as “part of a vanguard that is
demolishing the popular belief that exclusivity is a virtue in higher
education.” For more information, visit ucf.edu.

About Siemens Corporation

Siemens
Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse
focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization.
One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient,
resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of systems
for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With
approximately 372,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported
worldwide revenue of $92.0 billion in fiscal 2017. Siemens in the USA
reported revenue of $23.3 billion, including $5.0 billion in exports,
and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and
Puerto Rico.

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Contacts

UCF Media Relations
Heather Smith, 407-823-3428
[email protected]
or
Siemens
USA
Brie Sachse, 202-730-1013
[email protected]